Golf ball cleaner



May 26, 1931. A. P. YOUNG 1,807,023

GOLF BALL CLEANER Filed Nov. 2, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Andrew P Young BY ATTORNEY M y 1931. A. P. YOUNG 1,807,023

' GOLF BALL CLEANER Filed NOV. 2, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Andrew/. oung BY ATTORNEY y 26 1931. flaws 1,807,023

/,.////GOLF BALL CLEANER Filed Nov. 2, 1929 fisheets-sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES ANDREW P. YOUNG, OF PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK GOLF BALL CLEANER Application filed November 2, 1929. Serial No. 404,307.

This invention relates generally to means for rapidly and thoroughly washing and dry ing objects of substantiallyspherical contour, and is particularly designed to so wash and dry golf balls. Generally stated it comprises a tubular casing, preferably held in inclined position, with an inlet for the ball at one end, an outlet at the other, a conveying mechanism extending from inlet to outlet, a combined ball washing and scrubbing mechanism at the inlet .end and drying means, such as an absorbent pad, located between said washing mechanism and said outlet so that, after washing and scrubbing, theball may be forced by the conveyor mechanism through the drying means and then automatically discharged from the casing. Prefer ably the conveyor mechanism comprises a revoluble worm and the parts are so arranged that when said worm is rotated in one direction the ball is retained in, and subjected to action of, the washing and scrubbing mechanism, but, when. said worm is rotated in the other direction, the ball is removed from the V washing and scrubbing mechanism and forced through the drying means to the casing outlet.

The best form of mechanism at, present known to me, embodying my invention, is illustrated in the attached three sheets of drawings, in which 1 j 1 Y Fig. 1 is a side'elevation of the complete apparatus. 7

Fig. 2 is an enlarged 2-2 of Fig. 3. I

v Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a detail cross section on line 4.4= of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow, parts being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a detail, vertical longitudinal section of the upper portion of the apparatus showing the rotating brush in uppermost position, and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the lower portion taken on line 6'6 of Fig. and showing the rotating brush in lowermost position.

Throughout the drawings like reference character'sindicatelike parts. 3 is a cylindrical tubular casing preferably held in an cross sectionon lines inclined position by bracket 1 which may be screwed or clamped to a table 2 or other convenient support. 4 is an intake hopper fastened by screws 23, 23, over an opening in the upper side of the lower end of the casing 3 large enough to receive the ballto be washed and dried. 5 is a discharge trough under a similar opening in the under side of the upper end of the casing through which the washed and dried ball may be ejected, though said trough might be dispensed with and the upper end of the cylinder left open for such discharge. 6 is a conveyor worm mounted on a shaft 7 axially disposed in the casing interior and journale'd in the heads thereof. Preferably the lower heard is made in the form ofa cap 31 screwed on to the casing by thread 35 to make the union water-tight, while the upper head 32 is held on by a bayonet lock 341 to facilitate rapid removal and replacement. 8 is a crank removably fastened on the lower projecting end of shaft 7 by setscrew 30, and packing 27 is held and compressed around shaft 7 by screw threaded gland 28 to form a water-tight stuffing box therefor in head 31. A quantity of water or other cleaning liquid poured in through hopper 4 may. thus be retained in the lower end of casing 3 at approximately the level indicated by broken line 36, which is fixed by the location of overflow slot 11 in casing 1. A circular brush 9 set in a plate back 17 is held fixed against end cap 31 by screws 33, 33. Preferably this plate 17 has an annular flange 37 in which. may be removably set a friction ring 18 of rubber or any more durable or more frictional material. 10 is a. smaller brush carried by housing 12,'which latter is fast on shaft 7, as best shown in Fig. 2, the surfaces of brushes 9 and 10 being parallel and spaced apart to receive the ball 11 between them. 13, 13, represent a set of 7 ball bearings nested in sockets 38, 38, carried by housing 12, on which anti-friction bearings ball 11 may rest, and 14 is a roller supported by springfcarrier 15 on housing'12 to assist in retaining ball 11 in the position on the housing shown in Fig. 2 during the washing and scrubbing operation. ,16 is a rubber pad set in channel 26 which is sunk in stationary brush 9 and held to plate 17 by screws 29. A sump 19 may be formed in the lowermost portion of easing 8 for the collection of dirt washed from the balls and this may be evacuated from time to time by removing screw plug 20.

The operation of this portion of the apparatus in washing and scrubbing the ball 11 is as follows: lVhen the shaft 7 has been turned by crank 8 to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the ball 11, forced down through hopper 4, is arrested in the position there shown between the brushes, and on rotating shaft 7 in a clockwise direction (looking at Fig. 2) the ball is carried through a circular orbit by housing 12, dipping into the water once in every revolution of the shaft, i. e. while passing through the position shown in Fig. 6. During this orbital travel the ball 1 is held against friction ring 18 by spring roller 14rand so tends to roll on said ring around an axis parallel to that of shaft 7. 1 t the same time it is subjected to a frictional drag by stationary brush 9 which tends to cause it to also rotate on an axis atright angles to that of shaft 7. The result is that ball 11 is forced along, partially rollin and slipping between brushes 9 and 10. The partial rolling motion over stationary brush 9 is accentuated and'increased to a maximum when the ball strikes friction pad 16 (usually made of rubber) once during each cycle of its orbital travel, and this ensures sharp brushaction of moving brush 10 at least once during each such cycle of shaft rotation and also the presenting of a new surface to fixed brush 9 at least once in each complete rotation of shaft 7. The ball bearings 13, 13, facilitate this compound and variable rotation of ball 11 and thus ensure every portion of its surface being passed through the water and thoroughly scrubbed at one time or another during a series of rotations of shafts '4' in this direction, caused by manipulation of crank 8.

lVhen the rotation of the crank is reversed to a counterclockwise direction (looking at Fig. 2) the spring roller 14 slips over ball 11 because of the drag of stationary friction ring 18 on said ball, and the ball then snaps out into the open end of worm 6. If this action is initially delayed it is positively created as soon as the ball comes in contact also with friction pad 16. When thus freed from the washing and scrubbing mechanism the ball is thereafter pushed and rolled by the worm up along the bottom of easing 3 away from the body of cleansing fluid. 7

. 22 is an annular, coned guide held fast in the casing interior by one of the screws 23, and the ball 11 is then shoved and rolled up over this guide 22 into the drying section of the apparatus. This latter is provided with a drying pad 21 preferably made of felt which pad is retained in cylindrical form by hoops 25, 25, the inner surface of the drying cylinder so formed being substantially in line with the discharge edge of said annular guide 22. Continue-d rotation of worm 6 in this counterclockwise direction rolls and slides the ball along and around the surface of pad 21 until all portions of the balls surface have been subjected to the wiping action of different portions of the surface of said pad and the ball finally drops out through discharge trough 5.

For convenience pad 21 may be given a wire mesh backing 89, and this, with hoops 25, make it a self sustaining drying unit which may be removed for its own cleaning and drying (after a reasonably long period of use) with subsequent replacement in operative position. Such unit dryer is held in position against guide 22 by setscrew 24, or other convenient fastening means. When screw 24 is backed off and easing head 32 slipped off by freeing the bayonet lock 34, the drying unit may then be slipped out and a fresh one put in position.

Any proper number of slots 40, or other perforations may be formed in the casing 3 (as indicated in Fig. 1) to permit air to circulate around pad 21 and exert a drying action thereon. Similar slots or perforations might also be made in the pad.

Among the more obvious advantages of my invention may be mentioned its simplicity, rapidity and eifectiveness of operation, ease of assembly and disassembly, and of removal and renewal of all worn or fouled parts.

lVhile described as used for cleaning and drying golf balls, the apparatus could obviously operate equally well on any other spherical objects of proper size, and various of the described sub combinations could be used to perform their particular functions without certain of the other parts. Thus the washing mechanism would be usefully operative without the drying mechanism, and vice versa. Also other conveyor mechanism might be substituted for the revoluble Worm shown.

The preferred method of use is as follows: Pour water and soap through hopper 4 until it overflows through slot 41; then drop a ball through the hopper, the parts being preferably adjusted in position shown in Fig. 2. The crank 8 is then given several rotations in clockwise direction, and then reversely rotated until the washed and dried ball drops out through discharge spout 5. If the parts are not in the preferred position shown in Fig. 2, the ball will merely drop to the bottom of casing 3, be picked up during the first clockwise rotation of shaft 7, and thereafter held as shown in Fig. 2.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A ball cleaning apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular casing provided with a closed end and an inlet opening in the upper wall near that end and an outlet in the lower wall near the other end, a rotary conveyor mechanism extending through said casing from a point near said inlet toward said outlet, a fixed brush located at and substantially paral el to the end wall adjacent said inlet, another brush operatively connected to the rotary conveyor and facing said first mentioned brush, and means for rotating said conveyor in either direction.

2. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which said casing is inclined upwardly from inlet to outlet end and is water-tight at its lower end, whereby a quantity of cleansing liquid can be trapped at that end for cooperation with said brushing mechanism.

3. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which said conveyor mechanism comprises a worm carried by a shaft axially located in said casing.

4. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which said conveyor mechanism comprises a worm carried by a shaft axially located in said casing and said brushing mechanism comprises a brush fixed to the adjacent end of said worm.

5. A ball cleaning apparatus comprising, in combination, a tubular casing provided with an inlet near one end and an outlet near the other end, a rotary conveyor mechanism extending through said casing from a point near said inlet toward said outlet, a brush fined at said inlet end having its operative face at right angles to the axis of said tubular casing, another brush operatively con nected to the rotary conveyor and facing said first mentioned brush, means for rotating said conveyor in either direction and drying means located near the outlet end of said casing.

6. A combination such as defined in claim 5 in which said drying means comprises a removable padof absorbent material forming a lining for a portion of the casing interior.

7. In an apparatus for cleaning golf balls the combination of a cylindrical casing having a worm mounted on a revoluble shaft axially disposed therein, an inlet hopper on the upper side of said casing near one end 1 thereof, a stationary brush covering that end of said casing interior, a second brush facing the first mentioned brush and carried by said worm, a ball supporting housing fast on said shaft and provided with a spring supported roller tending to force said ball outwardly against the annular surface of said casing interior, and an outlet from the under side of the other end of said casing.

8. A structure such as defined in claim 7 in which said casing is inclined upwardly from its intake to its outlet end and is watertight at its lower end but provided with a drainage opening at said lower end, combined with manually operable means for opening and closing said opening whereby a body of cleaning liquid may be retained at will in said end, through which liquid the ball is'moved during said brushing operation.

9. A structure such as defined in claims 7 combined with a friction pad inserted in the face of said. stationary brush in a position to engage the surface of the ball during a portion of its travel around the casing interior.

10. In a ball cleaning apparatus the combination of a cylindrical casing provided with a brushing surface on the interior of one end, an axially disposed shaft carrying a brush facing, but spaced away from, said brushing surface, a ball supporting housing on said shaft adjacent said last mentioned brush and adapted to travel over said brushing surface, and an annular friction lining for the interior ofsaid casing surrounding the space between said brushes.

11. In a ball washing and drying apparatus a cylindrical, inclined casing, having a ball washing mechanism located at its lower end, and a revoluble worm carrier adapted to force a washed ball toward the upper end of said casing, said upper end being provided with a drying pad and hoops for retaining same in a cylindrical form, said cylindrically shaped pad being mounted in the upper portion of said casing and surrounding said worm.

12. A structure such as defined in claim 11 combined with a cone shaped guide to the lower end of said cylindrical pad fastened in said casing interior and fastening means inserted through said casing wall to engage the other end of said pad cylinder; whereby said pad cylinder is removably held between said guide and fastening means.

13. In a ball washing apparatus an inclined tubular casing closed at its lower end and having an overflow slot in one side extending in a horizontal direction combined with means to agitate a ball placed in any body of liquid trapped in the lower portion of said casing below said slot, and toforce said ball toward the upper end of said cas- 14. A ball washing and drying apparatus having, in combination, an inclined tubular casing closed at its lower end to retain a definite quantity of cleaning liquid, drying means in the upper portion of said casing, and mechanism for carrying a ball through, and up out of said liquid and forcing it up through said drying means.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 25th day of October, A. D. 1929.

7 ANDREW P. YOUNG. 

